Please refer to my webpages on Zen for further information. You will have a more detailed explanation if you read my book "The Complete Book of Zen", to be released byElement Books in June.

Question 2
I am a dancer and a martial artist now for respectively 18 and 7 years. Unfortunately, I had been somewhat of a martial arts gypsy, never finding the art that I felt I was best with -- that was until I began reading your books.

They have been wonderful. They have renewed my passion for the martial arts. I have especially enjoyed the books on Chi Kung and Tai Chi Chuan. I believe these to be what I have been looking for all my life (I have been a martial arts scholar since I was young(er).
Kenneth

Answer 2
Although martial arts are not a dance, they are not incompatible. It is great if you can combine them appropriately; you would not only achieve the benefits of both disciplines in one go when others would have to practise them separately, but more significantly you would add depth to either of them.

For example, your spectators or students would be enthralled when they discover that your beautiful dance movements can be effectively used for self defense, while on the other hand martial artists would admire not just the elegance and grace but also your agility and fluidity of movement which contribute to effective combat. Chi Kung and Tai Chi Chuan are excellent choice for your purposes.

While martial arts are basically experiential, not academic, your scholarly study on the martial arts will now provide a good theoretical foundation upon which you can build your practice. The theoretical knowledge is like a map showing you not only how and where to go, but also what the destinations will be.

Of course we do not merely hold the map in our hands; we have to do the actual travelling, and with guidance from the map you will not only know what your destination is and reach it faster, you will also find the travelling more pleasant, while others without a map would waste much time gouging in the wilderness.

Question 3
My only disappointment is that I cannot seem to find any qualified teachers of both of these disciplines. I have finally found what I was looking for, but still cannot seem to attain it. I live 25 miles north of Seattle, Washington. I guess that kind of isolates me a bit.

Answer 3
The fact that you mentioned you could not find any qualified teachers, while many mediocre dancing and martial art instructors, or mediocre Chi Kung and Taijiquan instructors abound, is a clear indication of your search for excellence. Real masters are very rare. What is important is that you know what you are looking for and that you realize the great importance of having good teachers. When the time is ripe the master will appear.

Question 4
I was wondering if you had any suggestions regarding my dilemma. I am 28 years young ( Smile) and think that I would very much like to teach others both Chi Kung and Tai Chi Chuan. First, of course, I have to learn myself. Although your books are WONDERFUL, I don't think that I can become qualified from their absorption (smile).

Answer 4
Yours is not a dilemma but an essential stage many seekers have to go through in their path to becoming masters. And you have a right attitude to start with, which will eventually prove to be very significant. Not only you have to learn, more importantly you have to practise and practise what you have learnt so as to master your skills before attempting to teach others.

In terms of becoming a master, at 28 you are indeed young, and this reminds me that although I am double your age I am also young. If you take ten years to become a master -- which is actually a short time -- you are not even half the potential life span of real masters.

A good book is at best a poor substitute for a true master. Keep on searching. If you are sincere in your search and are willing to make the appropriate scarifice, which is actually a small price to pay for learning from a real master, you will eventually find one. My webpage Qualities of a Good master provides some very useful information for your search.

Question 5
Is your Wing Chun similar to the one practiced by Yip Man or Bruce Lee or the many other of Yip Man's students or followers all over the world?
Fredrick, Malaysia

Answer 5
The type of Wing Chun I learned is different from the type taught by Sifu Yip Man, Bruce Lee or their students, but the fundamental principles are similar. A noticeable difference is that many of my Wing Chun sets employ wide stances like those of Southern Shaolin Kungfu, whereas Sifu Yip Man's Wing Chun generally uses narrow stances.

I learned from Sifu Choe Hoong Choy, a well known Wing Chun master in Malaysia. My line of Wing Chun is traced to Leong Yi Tai, whereas that of Sifu Yip Man is traced to Wong Wah Poh. Wong Wah Poh and Leong Yi Tai were the two students of Leong Pok Kow, the husband of Yim Wing Chun.

Leong Yi Tai's successor was Yip Tak Sheng, who was previously a Choy-Li-Fatt master. Hence much of my Wing Chun also has Choy-Li-Fatt characteristics.

Question 6
I have started practising Yang style Taijiquan and I was wondering if it would be possible to combine the stance training and the 1st form training with my Chi Kung training.
Pushpinder.

Answer 6
Taijiquan itself is a form of chi kung. Indeed, without the training of chi, it ceases to be Taijiquan and often degenerates into Taiji dance.

For various reasons, more than 90% of people who think they practise Taijiquan are actually doing Taiji dance. Practising Taiji dance is not without its benefits. It promotes grace and balance, as well as improves blood circulation, but it does not give the benefits that Taijiquan is well known to give, such as being fit and healthy at 60 and beyond, mentally fresh, combat efficient and having internal force.

Chi kung means "energy work". If you work on your energy, such as consciously generating energy flow, when practising Taijiquan, you are already doing chi kung. If you merely work on your muscles or body form, such as paying attention to where you should place your hands and feet, you are merely doing Taijiquan form which virtually all Taijiquan masters and classics have said is the least important.

You can also combine or supplement your Taijiquan practice with other forms of chi kung training. You can, for example, perform "Lifting the Sky" or "Carrying the Moon" or any dynamic patterns from any chi kung styles before starting your Taijiquan set, and conclude the set with standing or, if you are advanced, sitting meditation.

Question 7
Which way would give me the greater benefit, doing the Chi Kung training first followed by the Taijiquan stance and form training or the other way round.

Answer 7
You can do other forms of chi kung before, or after, or before and after your Taijiquan training. When you do it before, you build up energy for your Taijiquan training; when you do it after, you consolidate your energy which you have worked at during the training. A useful approach is to do some dynamic chi kung (such as "LIfting the Sky") before, and some quiescent chi kung (such as Abdominal Breathing) after your Taijiquan.

Actually all Taijiquan sets already incorporate this provision. In the Yang Style Taijiquan set, for example, the first pattern, "Taiji Starting Pattern", is dynamic chi kung, and the last pattern, "Wuji Stance" is quiescent chi kung.

You should perform the first pattern at least 20 times (at advanced level you may progress to 200 times), and remain at the Wuji Stance for at least 5 minutes.

Most students perform the first pattern only twice (which would be the case if you are performing for public demonstration) and walk away before they actually commence the Wuji Stance, because they do not realize that these two patterns are meant to generate chi flow and consolidate their chi effect.

Question 8
It is sometimes very difficult for me to still my mind and I was wondering if there was some other technique that I could try. My mind wonders especially during the Self-Manifested Movement.

Answer 8
This is a common problem with most people. There are many techniques to still the mind and they are quite simple, although it may not be easy to put them in practice. Here is where a good teacher comes in. He will lead you into a one-pointed mind often without you realizing it until he points out to you later.

Actually it is the skill rather than the technique that is required to still the mind. Once you have the skill, virtually any technique can be used. A very useful technique I frequently use to help my students acquire the skill to still their mind is "Lifting the Sky". The techniqure, apart from the physical movement of the exercise, is simple and as follows: don't think of anything; just be gently aware of your breathing.

But the actual skill has to be acquired and practised, and is best learnt from a master. You and others may understand the technique and attempt putting it into practice, yet cannot still the mind. The reason is that you do not have the skill although you know the technique.

Perhaps an anology may make this clearer. A football coach may tell his players that a good technique to score a goal is to kick the ball to a far corner of the goal post. The playsers try that but very few can ccomplish it. It needs a lot skill to do so.

Techniques can be learnt from any mediocre instructor or read from a book, but skills are best acquired from a master.

Question 9
I found the book very interesting and have started practising Lifting The Sky, Carrying the Moon, Pushing the Mountain, Standing Meditation and Visualisation. I have a lower backache, stiff neck and shoulders and hope the above Chi Kung execises would help.
Chan, Malaysia

Answer 9
Visualization is a very powerful technique, and is best done with a master's supervision. The other xercises mentioned above are safe, and by themselves should be able to help you overcome your backache, stiff neck and stiff shoulders.

Question 10
Problem is, most of the time midway thru the sessions, I will get pins & needles on both the underside of my feet. But when I start swaying in a circular motion, the pins and needles will slowly disappear. I also get pins and needles when I am trying out Visualisation when relaxing on my bed. I also feel if I am floating.

Answer 10
All these indicate you are getting the good effect of your practice. m The pins and needles are an indication of chi breaking through your energy blockage.

Question 11
Will practising Chi Kung wrongly disrupt blood circulation or cause harm to the body?. I am worried if I continue further, it may cause more harm and good.

Answer 11
Practising anything wrongly would cause more harm than good, and practising chi kung is no exception. Practising from a book, even a good book and even if you practise correctly, is nothing like practising from a master.

Question 12
Three months ago I noticed I was going to the bathroom a lot more frequently than normal. I saw a doctor who gave me some medicine and solved the problem. But in two weeks the medicine was gone and my problem was back.
David, USA

Answer 12
Your problem could be caused by faulthy chi kung practice. The medication removed the symptom but not the cause of your problem, which was likely to be injury of your kidney or urinary meridian systems.

Question 13
Reflecting on the physical and mental benifits I had recieved from doing Qi-Gong, I decided that if I just kept doing the golden eight excercises I could cure myself.

Answer 13
The golden eight exercises, or the Eight Brocade, are wonderful chi kung exercises that will bring good health and fitness, but if you do them wrongly, just as you do anything wrongly, you will have harmful effects.

Question 14
I decided I needed to push myself harder in practicing my Qi. Stretching as far as I possibly could, Lowering my horse stance to some what uncomfortable levels etc. were all things I was doing in the morning. My problem is now worse and I am now feeling small pains in my abdominal area.

Answer 14
Over-training in kungfu or chi kung, even though the methods are right, can cause serious problem. You not only practised wrongly, you also over-trained, thus compounding your problem. You should seek the helpof a genunine chi kung master (not a self-taught iinstructor who teaches merely chi kung forms) t.o help you solve your problem

Question 15
Could I have inflicted this problem on myself from moving energy around my dantien forcefully and at the wrong times?

Answer 15
This is likely to be your case. Moving energy around the dan tian is an advanced technique, and should not be done by merely following some instructions from a book. Yours is an example of someone hurting himself seriously from wrong practice without a master's supervision.

Question 16
Is masterbation similar to having sex in the sense that it will lower my energy levels to a level where I shouldnt practice for a full day?

Answer 16
Firstly, masterbation is different from having sex. Haviang sex, especially with the right partner, is a fulfilment, and the inter-exchange of sexual juices between the man the woman is beneficail to both. Masterbation is a manifestation of frustration, which is often more damaging than the loss of seman which weakens the masterbator.

Secondly, practising chi kung (but not for a full day) replenishes the energy lost through sex or masturbation. If you masterbate, which is not a wise thing to do, or have sex, which is wholesome provided it is not licencious or illegitimate, you should practise chi kung after the adventure.

Thirdly, whether you masterbate, have sex or not, you should not practise chi kung for a full day. Chi kung is wonderful, but there are also other wonderful things to do, such as spending some time with your parents or playing games with your friends. If you do some of these wonderful things, which are actually quite easy if you want to do them, you will have neither the need nor frustration for masterbation.

Question 17
Should I completely stop practicing Qi-Gong until I can find someone very experienced to give instruction?

Answer 17
Yes, completely stop whatever chi kung (qigong) you are currently practising because it is obvious you have been doing it wrongly. Seek a real master (which may not be easy), not to practise chi kung from him, but for him to help you remedy your serious adverse effects due to faulty practice. Make sure you don't seek a mediocre instructor who merely teaches chi kung forms; he may aggrevate your problems.

Question 18
Should I enroll in a Tai-Chi class?

Answer 18
Yes, enroll in a Taijiquan class if you want combat efficiency as well as good health. But if you are quite satisfied with performing graceful movements and relaxing yourself, enroll in any Tai Chi class, which is also one of the many wonderful things you can do besides masterbation or practising chi kung the whole day.

Question 19
Rregarding Shaolin kungfu., firstly I was wondering if it is at all an internal martial art or if it has internal excercises included in it's system.
Jeff

Answer 19
Shaolin Kungfu is often regarded as an external art although there are actually more internal exercises in it than all the internal exercises in the internal arts of Taijiquan, Baguazhang and Xingyiquan put together. In my oppinion, calling Shaolin Kungfu an external art, although this is what the general public as well as kungfu circles do, is mis-leading, but the term has been established.

Question 20
Secondly do you believe that if a martial art does not have any internal excercises it can still be very beneficial in helping one to enhance my qi.

Answer 20
No. Practising a martial art without any internal exercises can still enhance your qi, but this comes as a bonus and not as a directed effect. Hence it is not cost- or time-effective. It enhances your qi in about the same way as playing football, swimming or any other physical exercise do.

The most beneficial way to enhance your qi is through qigong, which literally means "working on qi". Besides working on qi, internal exercises also work on shen and jin, which mean mind and essence.

Question 21
The reason I am asking this is that i have recently finished studying acupuncture and feel that it would make my treatments that much better if I could find something which would increase my own qi 'efficiency'.

Answer 21
While an increase of qi efficiency would improve anything you do, including practising acupunture, I believe you would achieve your purpose better by studying with acupunture masters rather than with internal martial art masters or even qigong masters.

With better qi efficiency you may channel your own qi through the acupunture needles when you treat your patients. But this advantage is minimal compared to the advantage of studying with acupuncture masters who can teach you, for example, how to use your needles (rather than your own qi) more efficiently, or how to employ acupuncture points as a coherent system (which would consider, among other things, the patient's secondary complaints and other organic functions) instead of merely a one-to-one approach of applying predetermined points to particular diseases, as many acupunture amatures do.

Question 22
I have studied a traditional system of Japanese martial arts which included karate, judo and jujutsu for approximately 5 years but I recently stopped due to the fact that i felt that this particular type of training is completely lacking in any form of internal exercise. Thus Ii felt that this system (and in fact any Japanese system) of martial arts is limited in it's potential.

Answer 22
I agree with your observation. There is so much more Shaolin Kungfu or Taijiquan can offer, but you have to learn from real Shaolin or Taijiquan masters.

Intensive courses offered by Sifu Wong Kiew Kit, conducted in English and held in Malaysia.

• Intensive Chi Kung Course
• Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Course
• Intensive Taijiquan Course

The intensive courses are NOT suitable for AIDS patients and those who are HIV positive. If you wish to know the reasons, please refer to Answer 22 of the May 1999 Part 1 question answer series

Also please refer to some examples of illness overcome and FAQ on Intensive Courses

Please e mail your questions to Sifu Wong Kiew Kit stating your name, country and this webpage for reference. E mails without these particulars may not be answered

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